Morientes believes Peter Lim is still the right man for Valencia

Former Valencia striker Fernando Morientes believes that Singaporean billionaire and owner Peter Lim is still the man to take the struggling club forward.

After a promising start which saw Los Che finish fourth in La Liga to qualify for the Champions League play-off round during the 2014/15 campaign - Lim's first season at the helm - the club have found the going tough in recent campaigns.

The team currently sit in 14th place on the La Liga table, having won just eight of their 28 league matches so far.

But Morientes, 40, is confident that Valencia are headed in the right direction under Lim.

He said: "Peter Lim is going to bring Valencia football club forward, without any doubt.

"If he has a plan with the proper people and a long-term project, he is going to succeed."

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Lim bought over the financially strapped club for 420 million euros (S$633.7m) in October 2014 amid much fanfare, but his relationship with the club's fans soured when the team began to struggle to replicate the success of the first season.

The departure of some of their biggest stars, such as Shkodran Mustafi to Arsenal, and Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer to Barcelona, also did not sit well with the Valencia faithful.

Under the 64-year-old billionaire's reign, Valencia have also seen four managerial changes, and are now under the charge of caretaker coach Salvador Gonzalez "Voro".

When their last permanent coach Cesare Prandelli resigned at the end of last year, the Italian questioned the way the club were run.

But Morientes said that the fact Lim is still at the club is evidence of his determination to return Valencia to the top of the Spanish echelon.

Said Morientes, who also played for Real Madrid and Liverpool during his career: "Peter Lee arrived in Valencia when the club were already a winning team. But the most important thing is that he stayed even now when they are not winning much.

"This is something very important and something that will give Valencia the opportunity to be where they truly belong - amongst the winners."

Asked why Valencia are struggling on the pitch at the moment, Morientes, who was speaking at the launch of La Liga's regional hub office in Singapore yesterday, said: "Valencia lost some very important players... so that's the reason they have slid down a little bit."